Unemployment in Manistee County, Michigan, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Manistee County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Manistee County's score
In Manistee County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.8. Housing costs come next, at 56.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Manistee County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Manistee County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (15.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 56.6 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,668 · 202461st percentile
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- 35.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.9% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.7% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.8 · 202535th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Manistee County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Manistee County, 28.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Manistee County
Michigan
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Manistee County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 37.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Manistee County, Michigan, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Manistee County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 14.2% in 2010 to 16.0% in 2011; 16.2% in 2015 to 14.4% in 2016.
The share of households in Manistee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Manistee County, Michigan.
How Manistee County has changed
Manistee County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 21,449. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Manistee County, Michigan.
The number of jobs located in Manistee County had its largest rise, from 6,729 in 1995 to 8,190 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Manistee County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 8,190 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Manistee County, Michigan.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 6.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,598 | 2024 $62,668 |
The table uses 6.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Manistee County's history
1840
1840 1855 (organized). Wikipedia
1871
Great Michigan Fire destroyed Manistee October 8, 1871. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 27,856. The 2020 Census counted 25,032, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A thunderstorm in July 1987 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in September 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in July 2019 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail in April 2024 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Manistee County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Manistee County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Manistee County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Manistee County ranks 2nd of the five; Lake County is highest, at 46.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MI | 76 | 24.2% | 46.4% |
| Wexford County, MI | 72 | 14.6% | 33.4% |
| Manistee County, MI | 51 | 13.7% | 37.6% |
| Mason County, MI | 39 | 11.7% | 34.8% |
| Benzie County, MI | 26 | 9.2% | 26.2% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Manistee County the poorest county in Michigan?
No, Manistee County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 36th highest of 83 in Michigan (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Lake County, at 24.2%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Manistee County ranks 35th of 83 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Manistee County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services of Northern Michigan
Legal aid
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Michigan Legal Help
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Manistee County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Manistee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.